Skip to main content

tv   The Last Word  MSNBC  February 1, 2013 1:00am-2:00am EST

1:00 am
mapville is going to be in big trouble. >> what was the most important question asked today at chuck haegle's hearing. it was about an internal threat. and the milt the in visible war within the military remained in visible today. >> chuck haegle is taking plenty of heat within his own party. >> he wants to become the next secretary of defense. >> gear up for a gold old fashioned grills.
1:01 am
i want to know if you were right or wrong. >> will you please answer the question. >> if you would like me to explain. >> i would actually like an answer. >> i want the truth. you can't handle the truth. >> haegle faces questions from the panel. >> balance the budget and also the issue of sexual assault in the military. >> now estimated at 19,000 a year. >> they want to create the fear. >> a woman trying to defend her children. women he needed to defend themselves. >> they want to create the fear. >> trying to inject fear where a mother runs out of bullets.
1:02 am
>> six bullets may not be enough. it is all fear based. >> at the senate hearing today for chuck haegle for secretary of defense. most senators thought this was the big question. >> troubling statements that he has made about israel. >> refused to sign the letter supporting israel. >> israel our relationship with israel. >> do you think the nation of israel has committed war crimes? >> john mccain thought this was the big question. >> did you disagree on president obama on the surge in afghanistan? >> but in fact this is the most pressing question facing the new secretary of defense. >> when we hear report that is there are upwards of 19,000
1:03 am
sexual assaults in the military against women it is unacceptable. i need a strong commitment from you that you will treat our ment military families in the way that you would look after your own. >> on the issue of sexual assaults the devil is the military i don't know if you have seen "the in visible war". >> yes. >> i would ask that your commitment to the prosecution and holding accountable the people who are involved in this but also the victim. >> yes, i will agree to that. >> yes, sexual assault in the military is the issue facing the secretary of defense. he has no voice on his country's policy on israel.
1:04 am
every minute spent on that today in that hearing was a complete waste of time. and there is no disagreement on this country's policy towards israel. all democrats in the senate disagree with republicans on israel. and they have. trying to find such a difference is a ludacris exercise. even on budgets the secretary of defense is one of many voices that the president will hear when he makes decisions. but, the defense secretary does have jurisdiction over personnel and he has sole jurisdiction over how to handle what is now an out-of-control crime wave in the united states military for
1:05 am
thousands of american soldiers the military has become a rape club. there were 19,300 sexual assaults in the military in 2010 alone. this rape crisis in the american military has come to light thanks not to any action taken by those senators or the defense department but thanks to the academy award nominated documentary "the in visible war". >> if a man gets accused of rape the woman is lie. >> i could choose to report it. even with the rape kit and everything and my friend catching him rape me, they still don't believe me.
1:06 am
>> i've reported it two different times to my squad leader and he told me i didn't have proof. >> they actually did charge me with adultery, i wasn't married he was. >> you heard chuck haegle say, that he saw that film. two days after that, he changed the pentagon policy and announced that rape allegations would be moved out of the direct line of command that has been so successful of suppressing these allegations and each branch of the military will have a special unit for these allegations. this is something that the secretary of defense has the power to do on his own authority. but most senators have no interest in that.
1:07 am
in this rape crisis in the american military and they wasted their time today talking about policy questions that have nothing to do with being secretary of defense. joining me now alex wagner and eugene robinson. >> alex, in our military today, women are actually putting their lives at risk simply bien listing. and we have to sit there today and watch the senators wander all over today about policies that have nothing to do with being secretary of defense when they have this crime crisis right in front of them. >> the reasons for that are two-fold. one is violence perpetrated against women have been ignored
1:08 am
by the congress of recent years. the violence against women act has not been renewed. plenty of republican folks running for congress had a robust and totally untethered to reality conversation about rape or protecting women. in some way it is sort of understandable i guess or ignoring issues pertaining to issues and their health. i think we know the chuck haegle hearing wasn't about him. it was a chance for republicans to litigate their gripes with the obama administration. they asked him questions that aren't questions that need to be answered regarding defense. they were got you questions.
1:09 am
>> i want to go back to this documentary one more time. i did a segment last year and i've never known of a documentary to be brought to the congress and then change policy. it is about something that happened literally within walking distance of those senate office buildings in dc. >> one of the first things i was told when i checked in was don't wear any makeup because the marines will think you want to sleep with them. >> the atmosphere there was horrible. people asked me what sexual favors did i perform to get my orders there. >> there was a senior officer in my command the first time he spoke to me, said femarenes here are objects for the marines to [ bleep ].
1:10 am
>> there is nothing less satisfying most of the time than a united states senate hearing. they frequently have evidence like this right under their noses and they wander off into their agendas and today was a classic example of that. your point is well taken. why not ask about something that the secretary of defense can actually do something about. this is something he can and must do something about obviously. there is an issue this culture of machismo and impunity and sexual violence in the military is not something that was cured by one order from leon panetta or his vigilance over the next
1:11 am
couple of years have has got to be more. when one wonders about the issue. >> the good news he says he has seen the documentary. marco rubio has announced that he will vote against chuck haegle and every reason he cites has nothing to do with the secretary of defense. he has policy toward cuba and support for israel and defense budgets which by the way are controlled by the senate and the house of representatives. this is a free one for rubio since he is moving out in a non right wing direction on immigration reform. he has to find every spot he can to go with the reactionaries and this looks like a spot he found. >> sure, he comes out on stage in a bipartisan situation with chuck schumer and counters that
1:12 am
with an appearance on the radio show. that is part and parcel of the republican party. the other thing with this a culture of rape within the institution is the broader issue we have which is institutional failure that they can police themselves as this point. keep in mind, sexual violence has been going on since the tail hook violence. that has not been successful. the question is when you look at the catholic church can they police themselves and honesty and transparency within them. we are a culture of secsy is pervasive.
1:13 am
imagine republican centers at a confirmation who have found that there is a corrupt practice being covered up in terms of medicare payments or something. >> imagine the outrage. the pounding the table and they would be shocked. on the question of the military policing itself. one thing that the senate is supposed to do and the house is provide oversight. they are supposed to be looking at this sort of thing and they seem uninterested. and not only that. even the things not within his purview, they were asking about were the wrong things. there is a war going on in afghanistan. al qaeda is rampid in parts of north african.
1:14 am
>> thank you both very much for joining me tonight. coming up, the lies the defenders of massacre weapons tell about women and guns. jerry read will join me on that. massachusetts governor is here for his first national television interview since he appointed william cowell to be the next senator for massachusetts. we will find out why the governor did not follow my advice to appoint barnie frank. and in the rewrite tonight the emergency room doctor who treated the victims of the massacre of sandy hook elementary school.
1:15 am
or that printing in color had to cost a fortune. nobody said an all-in-one had to be bulky. or that you had to print from your desk. at least, nobody said it to us. introducing the business smart inkjet all-in-one series from brother. easy to use. it's the ultimate combination of speed, small size, and low-cost printing.
1:16 am
there was a lot of talk about women and guns.
1:17 am
joy read will join me on that one coming up. and massachusetts governor is here for his first national interview since choosing the next massachusetts senator which means it is his first national interview since he broke my heart. let's see if the governor can win me back. [ metal rattling ] ♪ boo! i am the ghost of meals past. when you don't use new pam, this is what you get. residue. [ female announcer ] bargain brand cooking spray leaves annoying residue. that's why there's new pam.
1:18 am
i've been using crest pro-health for a week. my dentist said it was gonna help transform my mouth. [ male announcer ] go pro. for a clean that's up to four times better, try these crest pro-health products together. [ sara ] i've been using crest pro-health. so far...it feels different. [ male announcer ] crest pro-health protects not just some, but all these areas dentists check most. my mouth feels healthier. it feels cleaner. i think my dentist is gonna see the difference. [ male announcer ] go pro with crest pro-health. i don't think i'll ever go back to another product. see. six bullets in the hands of a woman trying to defend her children may not be enough.
1:19 am
>> and the peace of mind that a woman has as she is facing three, four, five violent attackers or intruders in her home screaming in the background the peace of mind knowing that she has a scary looking gun gives her more courage when she is fighting hardened violent criminals. >> and there in lies the problem with having to defend assault weapons. if you go out and try to defend assault weapons then you end up looking like a jackass. >> jack ass lindsey graham had to imagine a situation in which a woman and her children are killed because she ran out of bullets because he could not
1:20 am
find a case. as you saw, gail trotter's wild imaginings about the assault toting mom was completely fictional. she and lindsey graham at yesterday's senate hearing could not come up with a single case of a mother or father or any one else successfully defending themselves not one case. but there was an important point made about women and mother's and guns in that hearing yesterday and it came from one of the vices of sanity at the witness table. >> statistics show that when females are killed it is more
1:21 am
likely over 50% of the time to be by a spouse or household member. statistics show that there is a 500% chance that that person will be victimized by gun violence. among those women killed buy a house hold member by a gun she bought herself and kept in her home was the mother of the young man in newtown, connecticut. joining me now is joy read. joy, one of the anecdotes that was thrown around a lot was about sara mccainly who defended herself and her baby with her gun. and ms. trotter used that and
1:22 am
had no idea what kind of gun she used. let's listen to that. >> miss trotter quick question sara mckinler used a gun that would not be banned under the statue correct? >> i don't remember what type of weapon she used. >> trust me, that is what it was. and it proves the point that with order firearms not 100 magazine peculiar types of artifacts people are quite capable of defending themselves. >> they came there to testify about something that wasn't being considered. they came there not to testify about assault weapons and
1:23 am
magazines and that is not being challenged. and there in lies the problem. you have the gun lobbyists write ing stories of horror, but the real world cases they talk about, when they got out aren't about assault weapons. when you see them in the news it is because there is a mass murderer using them and one other point about the case. miss mckinney was defending herself. she shot that assailant once and before she did she called 911 and asked them if it okay for me to shoot this person. that wasn't the scenario of someone shooting back at her. she used force appropriately
1:24 am
without an assault weapon. >> we actually have breaking news about sara mckinley here tonight. our staff reached her by phone today to talk about this. which is of course assault weapons what about them? she made it clear to us, she doesn't want to see anymore gun control and not in favor of the knee legislation but said this about assault weapons this woman found herself defending herself with a gun her life came to that point where she had to do it. she said personally, i have no use for one, and don't own one. and joy, that is her feeling after suffering one of these attacks in real life herself. that is right. the idea that you need 100 rounds to stop a by with a knife
1:25 am
is absurd on its face. it was mentioned last night and in the hearing. this is a gun that this particular woman didn't need to defend herself. once she shot that assailant. there is a process. but there are real world questions to using a gun to defend yourself and i brought today with me the case of marissa alexander. she was in fear of her life from a husband which is the most likely scenario and she fired over his head because she feared he was going to beat her up. she is facing 20 years in prison for that. that is what happen happens when a woman uses a gun. thank you. >> coming up what an emergency room doctor has to say to the lobbyists for the nr are a and a
1:26 am
last word exclusive. massachusetts governor first national interview since for some reason he chose to ignore my advice about who to choose to appoint to the united states senate. he will join me it is coming up. all stations come over to mission a for a final go. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked.
1:27 am
five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. so we created the extraordinarily comfortable sleep number experience. a collection of innovations designed around a bed with dualair technology that allows you to adjust to the support your body needs - each of your bodies. our sleep professionals will help you find your sleep number setting. exclusively at a sleep number store. sleep number. comfort individualized. queen mattresses start at just $699. and save $500 on our special edition bed set. now at the sleep number white sale. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history.
1:28 am
so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪
1:29 am
okay i think i can do this.
1:30 am
he go to washington and he ignored the unsolicited advice [ male announcer ] you are a business pro.
1:31 am
1:32 am
executor of efficiency. you can spot an amateur from a mile away... while going shoeless and metal-free in seconds. and you...rent from national.
1:33 am
because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. now this...will work. [ male announcer ] just like you, business pro. just like you. go national. go like a pro. okay i think i can do this. he go to washington and he ignored the unsolicited advice of others like me who kept telling him that he should appoint the honorable barnie frank. governor patrick announced his choice yesterday.
1:34 am
william cowan who has served the governor has his chief of staff. he is a married father of two young children and is a really good guy and who is also wicked smart. >> thank you for joining me tonight, governor. >> glad to be with you tonight. >> as you know, i have said on this program, in this past month, that you are the greatest governor in the world of all-time. >> my goodness, i feel there is a but coming. >> there is. i was urging you to appoint barnie frank to the senate. this is the first time that a massachusetts governor has rejected my advice but do your best to convince me based on
1:35 am
this choice that you are indeed still the greatest governor in the world. >> well, i don't know if i can quite make that mark. that is the bar. i thank you very much for the encouragement. first of all, what is not to like about barnie frank? he was one of a number of folks on a long and deep list of folks having been my chief of staff and chief legal council before that. he is a well respected citizen people who come and go.
1:36 am
and uncommonly wise and thoughtful and always well prepared. to the extent that i'm a good governor, it is a lot having to do with his contribution. i think he is going to be a great stewart until the main event when the people fill that seat. i was working in the senate the first female attorney and first african-american u.s. attorney and those were choices made for the best qualified people for those jobs at the time. i will never forget the senator feeling history in his hands in making those choices and those appointments. did you feel that as you were approaching this have that go opportunity to appoint an after
1:37 am
african-american to the senate? >> i thought about it. but i do think that it is incumbent on all of us in positions with opportunities like the one that i have to consider the fact that we are a much, much richly diversion community and common wealth and country and that there is talent in every community having opportunities to expose that talent is a great thing. i want to listen to something that your lieutenant governor said about senate cowan. >> he's cool. tom brady, george clooney, james bond have nothing on moe. >> governor. >> it's true. >> he's that cool? >> he's really that cool.
1:38 am
i hope you will have him on some time soon. >> you know what's the shame is that we are only going to get this short period of moe cowan, he is going back into the private sector. he is a true public citizen in the sense that he does feel that sense of service and active citizenship and i think that will motivate this best work in the time in the senate. this is you and me talking here. as you know, i've worked in the senate or eight years and i'm from dorchester. >> wicked good. >> and i did for a few hours express and interest in this. tell me the truth.
1:39 am
where was i on the short list? >> let me say that had you not been on the short list. i probably would not have come on your show. >> i'm sure other opportunities will come for you if you continue to work hard. >> so i think this is actually working out well for everyone involved. and listen, if senator cowan can be half as cool as the coolest governor in the world he will be the coolest senator because that is the low bar. >> i'm called a lot of things cool is not one of them. thank you.
1:40 am
>> governor patrick, thank you very very much for joining us tonight. thank you for considering all of the public advice that you got about this. i completely respect your decision making process. >> thank you so much. be well. >> thank you. >> take care. >> coming up. republicans attacking marco rubio for supporting reform. >> and the emergency room doctor who was in charge of treating the victims of the sandy hook elementary school. and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these
1:41 am
stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked. it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.
1:42 am
and you'll dump your old mop. but don't worry, he'll find someone else. ♪ who's that lady? ♪ who's that lady? ♪ sexy lady ♪ who's that lady? [ female announcer ] used mops can grow bacteria. swiffer wetjet starts with a clean pad every time, and its antibacterial cleaner kills bacteria mops can spread around. swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. ♪ lovely lady republicans on the latino vote we'll have that next. and the emergency room doctor in connecticut. in america today we're running out of a vital resource we need
1:43 am
to compete on the global stage. what we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy.
1:44 am
by 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough college graduates to fill them. that's why at devry university, we're teaming up with companies like cisco to help make sure everyone is ready with the know-how we need for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure america's ready. make sure you're ready. at devry.edu/knowhow. ♪ i've never seen a doctor cry. you are about to see a doctor who did 20 years in the er as he put it never broke a tear until december 14th when he was in charge of the er that was suddenly overwhelmed by the massacre in sandy hook. last night the connecticut's legislature bipartisan task
1:45 am
force held it's final hearing at newtown high school. dr. william begg made this plea. >> thank you. what is my inspiration for coming tonight. i'm a parent of three newtown students and the parent of the medical staff here at the high school. i'm part of the group that formed the response to the shootings and i'm an er doctor that was on shift on december 14th. what is my goal? is to some how convince you that gun control measures that you hopefully enact will make a difference.
1:46 am
i had to go over seas for research. in scotland in 1996, 29 first graders were shot, their teacher, and then the gunman shot himself. few years before in england a 27-year-old shot 31 people killing 16 of them and killed his mother and himself. what did those legislators do, over a ten year period between 1988 and 1996 they enacted real legislation. did it make a different right away? actually it didn't. there was a bump in gun violence. but in 2010 in the u.s. since 1996 we have had over 20 mass murders.
1:47 am
great britain has had one. okay in 2010, the united states had about 32,000 gun deaths great brit continue 155. gun legislation takes a while to come to fruition but it works. if you own a gun and it is in your home because you are waiting for that person to show up because they are going to ter rise your house. you have 25 times more chance you are going to get killed from your own gun or your wife or spouse or kids 25 times you are going to die from your own gun than you getting killed from that intruder. states that do have gun control have a lower chance of violence for their citizens. in summary, what i'm asking for a you consider an assault
1:48 am
weapons ban and restriction on the size of the magazine clips and number of rounds and also please let us do some gun research that is real. [ applause ] >> from the mental health side, what galls me is the same folk that is are saying well i get it, we want to balance the budget, the same people that are saying let's um, take care of guns or allow guns to be out there are the same ones that are saying let's focus on mental health yet they are the same ones that are saying let's cut services. i'm asking you to please don't cut anymore. allow me as a medical doctor, when i see a patient when i educate them on alcohol or safe
1:49 am
sex, can i please talk to them about the effects of gun violence please? i want to recognize the -- you know 20 years in the er never broke a tear. but this has affected me. i want to recognize the efforts of the newtown ambulance core. thank you for your services to the families [ applause ] to the families on behalf of the er we tried our best. we tried our best. and to you lawmakers my mom and dad were both connecticut state representatives. i said mom why won't they make a change? they said they have their party
1:50 am
lines and they have their -- i said do you think this one time they will make the right decision and you know, she said yeah, i think this one time. i'm asking you please, make the right decision on behalf of newtown, and on connecticut and the united states. thank you. [ applause ] all stations come over to mission a for a final go. this is for real this time. step seven point two one two. verify and lock. command is locked. five seconds. three, two, one. standing by for capture. the most innovative software on the planet... dragon is captured. is connecting today's leading companies to places beyond it. siemens. answers. ♪ don't know what i'd do
1:51 am
♪ i'd have nothing to prove [ male announcer ] zales is the diamond store. take an extra 10 percent off storewide now through sunday. she pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. and she's not exactly tidy. even if she gets a stain she'll wear it for a week straight. so i use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft. since i'm the one who has to do the laundry. i do what any expert dad would do. i let her play sheriff. i got 20 minutes to life. you are free to go. [ dad ] tide and downy. great on their own, even better together. [ male announcer ] how could switchgrass in argentina, change engineering in dubai, aluminum production in south africa, and the aerospace industry in the u.s.? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one reason over 75% of our mutual funds
1:52 am
beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing.
1:53 am
the first step in getting the voters to luck us is to demonstrate that we like them. >> note to the governor, your party is not listening. in an editorial yesterday they
1:54 am
said: the editors of the national review think they know why republicans are losing the latino vote. take away the spanish surname and they look like other democratic constituencies. joining me now msnbc and nbc latino contributor and msnbc political analyst. victoria, i would love to get
1:55 am
your reaction to that picture of the latino voter as described by the national review. >> i'm incomplete disagreement of their assessment. >> yes, romney and mccain did poorly. but because they did a 180 in terms of reaching out. and george w. bush did rather well. he grew from low 30s up to over 40% in 2004. if you look at his years as governor here in texas, he did very well with latinos. they will never been an over
1:56 am
well manying constituency. but for them to give up on that percentage of independents to me is puzzling. >> that is the point. john kerry got 53% of the latino vote. the question for republicans is how much do you want to lose the latino vote by. >> george w. bush got 47% of their vote. we were talking about the day that we would get to 50% of the vote. it is a remarkable statement. i think that piece airs legitimate conservative issues around immigration reform. but the stigmatisation i don't understand it. why would you paint the demographic like that. it is part of the problem when
1:57 am
we hear the word "latino" like it is a dependant class of moochers and they are as much a part of the fabric of the community has the same hopes and aspirations and for the republican party to almost purposely allen nate that ignoring the successes, states who used to win presidential elections i don't understand it. it is hard to comprehend that perspective. why would you do that? >> when republicans lose the women's vote they don't put out similar state manies. in reading this editorial, they have thrown up their hands and
1:58 am
the other troubling piece about this article was their miss interpretation of the 1986 immigration reform. it was a failure because they didn't address the demand. people kept coming over because employers kept giving jobs to other folks. they make the comparison to amnesty in 1986 and amnesty today. if you were undocumented and erica went through you could go and apply for long-term residentsy and pay a $135 application fee. you have to get in the back of the line and pay taxes. we don't know what kinds of fines they are going to have to pay. two different talks here of
1:59 am
amnesty. ann coulter is on the rational review side. she said some were democratic voters. who is going to win this argument in the republican are party. do the democrats need all of the republicans? they just need some. >> it should be fascinating to watch. into the storm goes marco rubio. we are going to find out a lot in the cone teflt text of his aguilt to weather the storm. if he can't rally people to a great cause. he goes into the storm now with conservatives and republicans about to have a important debate about the future of our party.